Organic Biodegradable Pod Is An Alternative To Traditional Burials

There’s a new burial method in Italy that captures the idea of life’s circle. Many people find the concept of returning to their roots of existence appealing. Through the Capsula Mondi project, designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel have developed an organic, biodegradable burial capsule that turns a deceased person’s body into nutrients for a tree planted over the place of burial instead of a tombstone.
The deceased’s body is encapsulated in a foetal position into a pod and then buried to the ground. After the burial, a sapling or a tree seed is planted above the pod. The project offers a variety of trees to choose from.

At present, the project is nothing more than a concept, since burials like these are illegal in Italy. If this wasn’t the case, though, Capsula Mondi’s aim would be to create entire parks full of trees, memorial parks, instead of cemeteries with tombstones. This project also offers the opportunity for trees not to be exploited for their wood in order to build wooden coffins and it also offers the chance to provide sustenance for the trees planted over the pod. And it is a comforting idea to think that people can visit their loved ones’ final resting place where a tree is planted and which they can look after and rest under, in its shade.